About

The SmartiPi Flex is an adjustable and repositionable camera arm for the Raspberry Pi Official camera. The aluminum and rubber neck can be flexed to the position you want and it will stay in place. The included cable is run through rubber neck to the camera. Raspberry Pi board and camera are not included.

Two versions are available

The SmartiPi Flex ZeroKit includes the case which holds the Pi Official camera at one end and the Raspberry Pi zero at the other end. The case fits all versions of Pi Zero. The camera and Pi Zero are not included.

The SmartiPi Flex Basic Kit includes the case which holds the Pi Official camera at one end and has the camera cable extending out of the other end to connect to your Raspberry Pi of choice. The camera and Raspberry Pi board are not included.

Both versions have screw mounting, suction cup, and adhesive mounting options to make integration into your application seamless.

SmartiPi Flex Zero fits the Raspberry Pi Official camera at one end and Raspberry Pi Zero at the other end.

SmartiPi Flex Basic fits the Raspberry Pi Official camera at one end and has the camera cable extending out the other end.

The photos show 3D printed prototypes of the design. We need your support in backing this project so that we can purchase the molds,materials, and parts required to make this product a reality. Many months have been spent designing, prototyping and sourcing materials to get to this point. To date we have designed dozens of products in our careers. Additionally, we have successfully delivered three Kickstarter campaigns and shipped tens of thousands of products to our customers.

You can pledge $33 and receive two kits of your choice. After the campaign we will send a survey out and you can specify if you want two of one kind or one of each kind.

You will also have the ability to add on as many extra rewards as you would like after the campaign is over.

The neck is stiff enough to hold in place but can still be repositioned by hand with ease. It can rotate up to 90 degrees left or right to face either side.

The camera head can rotate up to 90 degrees left and right.

It can be wall mounted with the eyelets on the back.

An aluminum plate is assembled into the outer rubber sleeve. The plate is attached to the plastic housings at either end with screws. The camera cable is then pushed through the rubber sleeve to the other side. When bent, the aluminum holds its shape while keeping the flat camera cable safe without kinking. We have focused our efforts on tweaking the design and materials so that it all works together just right. It is a grade of aluminum that holds its shape after bending and can withstand repetitive bending cycles.

Some aspects of the SmartiPi Flex are patent pending.

The SmartiPi Flex Zero assembly process is shown above.

The included suction cups can be mounted on either side. Use to mount to windows or desks.

The suctions cup can be used on the SmartiPi Flex Basic to help secure it to a work surface. Or it can be screwed or taped to the surface.

The SmartiPi Flex Zero has access to all ports, the SD card, and even has HAT compatibility.

Both versions have keyhole mounting points on the back.

HAT boards can be used on the Flex Zero by removing the knock out feature.

It's the perfect Octopi camera case.

We have spent many months designing the Smartipi Flex, are confident in the design, and understand the challenges involved with this project. We have 13+ years of product development experience and understand the design process thoroughly. Design is all about trying new ideas and iterating from one prototype to another.

Smarticase started in 2014 with our first Kickstarter. From there we have successfully delivered three total Kickstarters and have shipped tens of thousands of products.

After the Kickstarter there is a two month wait until we receive first parts from manufacturing. Then a few weeks are needed to tune the design before we start shipping. We plan to start shipping rewards in December 2017. We feel this is a realistic timeline to deliver this product.

Risks and challenges

The biggest challenge is getting our suppliers to deliver parts on time. There is always unforeseen risks and potential delays. We feel that we have built in enough time in the schedule to deliver on time but are aware there is the potential for delays that were not anticipated.